I just thought the shit'd be different Eminem – Careful What You Wish For
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This can be looked at as a double entendre:
Eminem’s flourishing prosperity and popularity led to him leading a life where he cannot partake in humanly conventions. Perhaps walking to a shop without being bombarded by attention or as previously said in “The Way I Am” –
[Taking] a shit in the bathroom
without somebody standing by it
All of this has ostracized him from normal things in life making him feel cocooned in his own world.
On the other hand, Eminem has been in trouble with the law a few times relating to gun charges and his diabolical abuse of drugs. Therefore this imprisonment can be taken literally.
Both in the literal and figurative sense:
He is unable to go out in public without getting mobbed. Thus, he is imprisoned, forced to stay in house or studio.
He is also symbolically imprisoned in his fame and fortune, as it was now defines him.
This sentiment is expressed on the alternate cover for Recovery.
What is this?
The Genius annotation is the work of the Genius Editorial project. Our editors and contributors collaborate to create the most interesting and informative explanation of any line of text. It’s also a work in progress, so leave a suggestion if this or any annotation is missing something.
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Notice the cold and brutal aura Slim has already conveyed in this song. Thus once the icepick makes contact with his victim’s heart it shows how ‘cold-hearted’ Eminem is.
Furthermore to ‘pick apart’ is a phrase which means to express criticism to a person, which is the purpose of this track; the phrase also links with the icepick.
He is so cold hearted that his victim will feel like slim is stabbing him with an ice pick.